Automatic cable or track lock for suspended lines or tracks, and a cable-support.



G. E. LA FOREST. AUTOMATIC CABLE on TRACK L 0cK FOR susmmsn LINES 0RTRA'CKS, AND A CABLE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l0. I9l5.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. E. LA FOREST. AUTOMATIC CABLE 0R TRACK LOCK FOR SUSPENDED LINES 0RTRACKS,

AND A CABLE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. I9I5.

Patented Nov. 23. 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET-2.

Elma

GEORGE a. LA FOREST, or BovILII, gmmo.

AUTOMATIC CABLE OR TRACK LOOK FOR SUSPENDED LINES OR TRACKS, A CABLE-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE E. LA FOREST, acitizen of the United States, residing at Bovill, in the county of Latahand State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Automatic Cable orTrack Lock for Suspended Lines or Tracks, and a Cable-Support, of whichinvention the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to improvements in elevated carriers which areadapted to be suspended from and travel on overhead cables or tracks andmore particularly to trolle s.

The main object of the invention is to provide simple and efficientmeans for preventin the trolley or carrier from leaving the cale ortrack and thus avoiding accidents, and this is accomplished byautomatically locking the trolley or carrier to the cable during itspassage thereover and across the support for the cable.

Another object is to provide a cable support so constructed that it willpermit the passage of the trolleycarrier over it without releasing thelock.

With these and numerous other objects in view, the invention consists inthe novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a trolleyconstructed in accordance with this invention, the same being shown in aposition ready to engage a cable support to be hereinafter described;Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the trolley in engagement with thecable support; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 ofFig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a similar viewtaken on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken onthe line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 66 ofFig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a rearelevation of the trolley head to behereinafter described.

In the embodiment illustrated, around ward its ends to form wedge-likenoses 3 i and 4 for a purpose to be described. The arm is connected withthis segment midway its ends and is here shown pivotally connectedtherewith to provide for the oscillation of the cable which it isdesigned to support without danger of breaking the arm of the connectionof the segment with the arm. The straight edge 5 of this segment 2 isshown grooved longitudinally throughout to form a seat 6 for receivingthe cable C which it is designed to supportand which may be connectedthereto by any suitable means. laterally from the edges of the groove orseat 6 throughout the length of the straight OFFICE.

V Patented Nov. 23, 1915. Application filed June 10, 1915. Serial No.33,423.

Flanges 7 and ,8 extend insertion in the trolley or carrier hanger aswill be hereinafter more fully described.

The trolley hanger 10 here shown is arcuate or semi-circular in crosssection and has an overhanging housing 11 at its upper edge and aslotted lower edge for the reception and connection therewith of thetrolley pole or other support to be connected with said carrier 10, itbeing of course understood that it need not necessarily be used inconnection with a trolley but might be employed for any form of carrierwhich is designed to travel on an elevated track.

The overhanging housing 11 as shown comprises a depending flange 12spaced laterally from the inner wall of the housing and on the innerface of which is mounted laterally extending fixed cable locking plates13 and l t spaced suitable distances apart and arranged in alinement andwith which are designed to cooperate spring I pressed segmental lockingplates 15 and 16,

the curved edges 17 of which are arranged 7 adjacent the fixed lockingplates and are designed to contact therewith, at a point intermediate oftheir ends, the terminals of said plates 15 and 16 flaring or beingcurved away from the fixed locking plates. The fixed plates also havetheir ends curved so that when the two are engaged, V-shaped orsubstantially V-shaped months will be plates to facilitate the passageof the formed at opposite ends of the contacting.

the wedge-shaped or pointed noses 3 and 4 of said supports 2 beingdesigned to enter between these locking plates and force the movableplates sufiiciently away from the stationary plates to permit the hangerto pass over said support without entirely unlocking said hanger from.the cable. These segmental locking plates 15 and 16 are here shown withlongitudinally spaced pins 18 extending laterally from their straightedges and slidably mounted in apertures 19 formed in the upright wall ofthe hanger 10, said pins having their free ends extending through saidhanger wall and held in operative engagement therewith by pins 20extending transversely through said pins or they may besecured in anysuitable manner. Coil springs 21 are mounted on the pins 18 between theinner faces of the upright wall of the hanger and the straight edges ofthe plate and exert their tension to normally force said plates 15 and16 toward the stationary plates 13 and 14: to yieldably hold them inengagement with said plates. The inner faces of the plates 15 and 16bear against the straight lower faces of the flange 8 and the innerfaces of' the stationary plates bear against the straight lower faces ofthe flange 7 so that the hanger is reliably guided in its passage oversaid shoe, the cable C entering grooves in pulleys 22 and 23 which aremounted in the hanger in a plane above and in alinement with theyieldable locking plates 15 and 16 when the latter are in closedposition, the edges of the pulleys extending down over the cable C andengaging the inclined upper face ofthe shoe flanges whereby the hangeris reliably engaged with the cable and its support and held against allpossibility ofdisengagement during its passage over said support, thecoaction of the fixed and movable locking plates with the flanges of theshoe, serving to prevent all possibility of the hanger becomingdisengaged from the cable or jumping the track.

From the above description it willbe .obvious that when thehanger 10which is being propelled over the cable or track C (reaches one of thecable supporting shoes 2,

the beveled nose of said shoe which is disposed in the path of'saidhanger will enter between the fixed and movable locking plates and thecontinued movement of the hanger over said shoe will cause the movableplates to be forced away from the stationary plates a suflicientdistance to permit the hanger to pass freely thereover, while at thesame time being held in locked engagement therewith by' means ofcooperation of the looking plates with the flanges of the shoe as abovedescribed. After the hanger passes one of the cablesupporting shoes 2,the movable locking plates 15 and 16 will automatically move intoengagement with the stationary locking plates and thus securely lock thehanger to the cable.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a carrier of the class described, the combination of a hangerhaving a track lock comprising fixed and spring pressed plates normallyheld in yielding contact, said plates being arranged in the samehorizontal plane and having outwardly curved ends forming flared mouthsat their opposite ends to provide for the entrance between them of atrack support.

2. In a carrier of the class described the combination of a hangerhaving a track lock comprising a fixed plate and a spring pressedmovable plate normally held in yielding contact with said fixed plate,said plates having flared mouths at their opposite ends, and a tracksupport having a wedge-shaped nose for entrance into said flared mouths.

3. In a carrier of the class described the combination of a hangerhaving a track lock comprising a fixed plate and a spring pressedmovable plate normally held in yielding contact with said fixed plate,said plates having flared mouths at their opposite ends, a track supporthaving a wedgeshaped nose for entrance into said flared mouths, andmeans for locking said track support in engagement with said hangerduring the passage of the hanger thereover.

4. In a device of the class described the combination of a hanger havingan upright wall, a housing extending laterally from one side thereof andopen throughout its bottom, pulleys revolubly mountedin the top of saidhousing, and cooperating track lockin plates mounted in said housingbelow sai pulleys, one of said plates being fixed and the other movablelaterally relative thereto.

5. In a device of the class described the combination of a hanger havingan upright wall, a housing extending laterally from one side thereof andopen throughout its bottom, pulleys revolubly mounted in the top of saidhousing, cooperating track locking plates mounted in said housing belowsaid pulleys, one of said plates being fixed and the other movable,laterally relative thereto, and springs mounted to normally force saidmovable plates toward said fixed plates.

6. In a device of the class described the combination of ahanger havingan upright wall, a housing extending laterally from one side thereof andopenthroughout its bottom, pulleys revolubly mounted in the top of saidhousing, cooperating track locking plates mounted in said housing belowsaid pulleys, one of said plates being fixed and the other movablelaterally relative thereto, said movable plates being in the form ofsegments having their curved edges disposed toward the fixed plates,pins extending laterally from the straight edge of each of said movableplates andoslidably mounted in the upright wall of said hanger, andsprings mounted on said pins between the straight .edge of said platesand the inner face of the upright wall of. the hangerwhereby saidmovable plates are yieldably held in contact with said fixed plates.

7. In a device of the class described the combination of a hangerhavingan upright Wall, a housin extending laterally from one sidethereof, rid open throughout its bottom,pulleys revolubly mounted in thetop of said housing, cooperating track locking plates mounted in saidhousing below said pulleys, one of said plates being fixed and the othermovable laterally relative thereto,

said movable plates being in the form of segments having their curvededges disposed toward the fixed -plates, pins extending laterally fromthe straight edge of each of said.

movable plates and slidably mounted in the upright wall of said hanger,and springs mounted on said pins between the straight edge of saidplates and the inner face of the upright wall of the hanger whereby saidmovable plates are yieldably held in contact with said fixed plates, theopposite ends of said fixedvplates being flared to form in connectionwith the flared ends of the movable plates, V-shap'ed mouths.

8. In a device of the class described a hanger including an upright wallwith an overhanging housing on oneside thereof at itsupper edge, saidhousing being open throughout its lower face, vpulleys revolubly mountedin said housing, laterallyextending fixed locking plates mounted on theinner wall of said housing, a laterally extending shoulder on the otherwall of said housing r in a plane above said fixed plates, and springpressed locking plates mounted in said housin'g opposite said fixedplates and adapted to yieldably engage'said fixed plates, and means forfacilitating the entrance of a cable support between the fixed andmovable a seat formed in the straight edge of said shoe and adapted tobeconnected. with the cable or track to be supported.

10. The combination with a hanger havin being yieldably held in contactwith the fixed plate, a cable support comprising a segmental shoe havingits grooved edge beveled on both faces to provide entrance noses at itsopposite ends for insertion between the' fixed and movable plates of thehanger, a seat formed in the straight edge of said shoe and adapted tobe connected with the cable or track to be supported, said shoe having.laterally extending flanges on 7 its straight edge and said hangerhavingvcooperating means for engaging said flanges to lock the hanger inengagement with the shoe during its passage thereover.

GEORGE E. LA FOREST. Witnesses: A C. T. Kmem, Z ALLAN LAMPHERE.

cooperating plates, the movable plate.

